


Visitor from the Sky

by rosegardenlake



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Captive keith, Fluff, Galaxy Garrison, He was raised by his mama instead of his papa, M/M, SHEITH - Freeform, Shiro is golden boy Shiro as always, ive been sitting here for like ten minutes and i still dont know how to tag this, just know that they fall in love and live happily ever after
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-15 02:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14149983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosegardenlake/pseuds/rosegardenlake
Summary: The Garrison has captured an alien.  It's the very first time.Shiro is sleeping peacefully in his room at the Garrison when it happens, bundled warmly in dreams as light explodes through the night sky and the ground quakes and quivers.  A mile away, in the darkness of the desert, a boy who's not all human, but not all Galra either, stumbles from his shuttle, disorientated, looking for his father.He's apprehended immediately and it's up to Shiro to get him to tell them what he wants.





	Visitor from the Sky

“Wake up.”

Shiro grunts, rolls onto his side, and shoves his face deeper into his pillow.

“ _ Shiro _ .   _ You won’t want to miss this _ .  Wake up!”

There is an intrusive nudge on his nose; the sound he makes in response is more like elephant than man.  He mumbles out a disgruntled, “if this is another one of your  _ stupid _ treasure hunts, I swear to god...”

A nervous laugh.  “It  _ is _ , but I promise you, it’ll be worth it.”

Shiro pries his eyes apart and peers into the darkness at a glowing pair of glasses hovering above him, catching the light from his clock that’s blaring an uninviting “3:00 AM”.

It’s Matt.  It’s always Matt at this ungodly hour.  He’s the type of person who likes to sleep during the day and thrives in the night, but Shiro is  _ not _ and he is actually a little bit grumpy.

“Get up.  You’re going to love me.”

Shiro pushes himself off his bed with a yawn, reaching for a robe.  “You are the absolute worst. Why am I friends with you?”

“This is the moment that will make all other moments totally worth it.  Promise. Also...wear something a little more presentable, will you? We’re not going to go play beer pong or something.”

“Like  _ last time  _ I was apparently going to enjoy the trip?”  Shiro tosses him a dirty look but changes into his uniform.

It’s dead silent in the hallways of the Garrison as they pitter patter across the floors, the sound of their feet too-loud and sharp.

“Oooh,” Matt laughs as he looks over at Shiro’s face.  “Did I interrupt someone’s beauty sleep?”

“ _ Yes _ .”

“Oh, come on, where’s your sense of adventure?!  Was your dream  _ that _ good?”

“It was actually,” Shiro frowns, fluffing up his collar.  “I was dreaming of space.”

Matt snorts.  “What’s new?”

“It was different tonight.  It felt closer somehow... And then I woke up and saw your glasses.”

“Just wait,” Matt says again.  He’s practically bouncing out of his boots; his smile is so overwhelmingly large that even Shiro has to admit he’s curious.

Matt’s leading him out of the Garrison, to the front gate, out where only the open desert awaits.  It sounds fun and all, but also dangerous, and they are definitely  _ not _ supposed to go out there.

“I really don’t want to get in trouble with Iverson.”

Matt pats him on the back as the gates open and they step out onto the sand, dark blue as it succumbs to night.  “We’re going to Iverson now.”

Shiro starts.  “What?”

“Dad sent for us.”

“ _ What _ ?”  As he lifts his head, he realizes that he can see, in the distance beyond the mountains, a small dot of light almost hidden from their sight.  Even in the darkness, the contrast of light and dark isn’t obvious. So a secret then?

There’s a speeder left out for them and Matt gestures for Shiro to take the driver’s seat.

“I was awake when it happened,” Matt says.  “It was just past midnight. Quiet. And suddenly, there’s this rumbling, like a mini earthquake, right?  And I look out my window and what do I see, right out the window? This  _ burst _ of light.  I swear to god, I thought aliens were coming to attack and kill us all.  And then Dad calls...”

Shiro waits.  Matt’s grin widens as he lets suspense build.  “ _ And _ ?”  Shiro prompts.

“And he says in this serious voice, ‘ _ bring Shiro _ ’ and here we are.”

“That’s it?  You have to have more details.”

“I dunno all the details.  That’s it.”

“ _ Matt _ .”

Matt cackles.  “I forgot how grouchy you get without your beauty sleep.  Look. We’re here.”

It’s a little makeshift camp, but the tent isn’t flimsy.  There are men with guns out in the front who nod them forward.  There are no lights outside, they’re in the middle of the desert, but there is a small hallway made of white tarp that is golden and illuminating and honestly, Shiro’s a little disorientated.  It’s surreal and he feels like he still might be dreaming.

He thinks it even more when he hears a loud scream from inside.  “Get him!” Someone’s yelling. “ _ Hold him down _ .”

And there’s a loud crash and a bang and the sound of metal clanging everywhere. 

“Don’t let it touch you!”

He and Matt exchange looks; the smile is no longer on Matt’s face.

They push the flap at the end of the hallway away only to be met by another door.   Hard one this time, locked.

The door flings open.  Light floods them and the room slowly comes into focus.

It’s Mr. Holt, eyes and hair frazzled, his robe on crooked.  “Thank goodness you’re here. Maybe someone more his age...?”

There’s Iverson, posture rooted to the ground and ready for a fight.  Two other men in white suits stand beside him, looking equally as friendly.  One has a scalpel in his hand, the other a long needle.

Above everyone, clinging to the light fixture above that’s swinging dangerously, is a boy.

Well, a boy might be an underestimation, because right now, he looks like a cat, swinging there, completely at ease, glaring down at all of them with fire in his eyes.

He’s beautiful.  It’s the very first thing Shiro thinks as he stares at him.  Beautiful, lithe, and so full of spirit it’s like his whole body is bursting with the energy of an entire star.  There’s something special about him and Shiro, only having seen him for five seconds, already feels something moving in his chest at just the sight.

“ _ Shiro _ ,” Iverson spits, stomping over.  He claps him on the back hard as if it’s supposed to be a friendly gesture of welcome, but his mouth is still pressed in a flat angry line and his attention is fully on the boy on the light.  “You’re good with people. Get him down.”

“Uh...   _ Who _ is that...?”

“Right, right, we’ll go over the specifics later, but right now all you need to know is that crash earlier?  Alien life has landed on Earth.”

“There’s an  _ alien _ ?   _ Here _ ?”

Iverson swallows hard, nodding toward the light.  “There.”

The boy.  His hair is long and jet black, tied neatly into a braid that swings with the light.  He has a strange mark crawling up his neck and coming to a point on the softness of his cheek.  Shiro wonders if it’s a scar, if it’d be rough beneath the touch of his fingers, or if it’s as smooth as the rest of his skin looks.

He looks feral, tensed with primal energy, like one false move will have him springing at one of them and there’s a knife in his hand that’s held easily, like he knows how to use it.

The boy has violet eyes and they’re a shock even on such a pretty face.  They’re fixed right on Shiro.

“Uh...”  Shiro steps forward awkwardly, raising his hand in a small nervous wave.  “H-hi.”

“ _ Shiro _ ,” Matt whisper-groans from behind him.

The boy takes in a deep angry breath and then points the knife at him.  “ _ Him _ ,” he says in a clear sharp voice.  “I want to talk to him and him alone.”

Everyone blinks.  “H-he can talk!” Mr. Holt breathes in surprise, whipping out the notebook in his pocket and scribbling madly.

“We demand you drop the knife and come down.”

“I demand everyone leaves but him.”

“My name is Iverson; I am in charge around here.  You will listen to  _ me _ .”

The boy just stares at Shiro, completely unaffected by Iverson’s intensity.

“I’ll do it,” Shiro says over Iverson’s rant.  “I’m fine with it. It's just a talk.”

“We don’t know what he wants, Shiro,” Iverson mutters lowly.

“Or what he can do,” Mr. Holt worries his lip, notebook clutched between two hands.

“Shiro, he could be dangerous,” Matt says, eyes large with concern.

Shir shakes his head softly.

It’s not that he knows from this exact moment how things will work out, but he can feel something in his heart when he looks at the boy.  Maybe it’s naivete. Maybe it’s superficial desire masking as fate, tricking him. He’s heard of such tales. But right now, all he knows is that he has to get to know this boy.

“It’s fine,” he says again, putting his hands on their shoulders gently to ease their tension.  “I’ve got this.”

“We have a live feed from the van,” Iverson says.  “We’ll be right outside. If anything happens...”

“Okay.  Thank you.”

The door closes with one final slap, taking the rabble away.  Then there’s just peace, only the two of them in this wide open room together.  They’re alone.

An alien.  But he looks human and it’s enough to keep Shiro’s mind at ease.  He takes in a deep breath and steps forward, looking up into the light that is still caught in its gentle swaying, the boy completely still.  “My name’s Shiro. I work at the Garrison nearby. ...I won’t hurt you. What’s your name?”

He watches Shiro for a moment, his expression indecipherable.

“Just anything to call you is fine,” Shiro says softly.

He sucks on his bottom lip as he thinks.  “Keith,” he says finally, as if he were prying a dark secret from his heart.

“Keith.  It’s nice to meet you.  Welcome to the Galaxy Garrison.  You came here on a spaceship?”

“Shuttle.”

“Oh, a shuttle...”  He hasn’t seen it. In hindsight, this is a pretty bad idea because he has no idea what’s going on.  There’s just a boy in a light and he’s pretty.

“Where do you come from?”

“I can’t say.”

“Oh...  Like...from another country?  Another state?”

Keith’s mouth twists into a wry smile as he goes off Shiro’s tone.  “...Another planet...”

“Right...” Shiro breathes.  “Another planet...” He tries to take a moment to let that thought sink in until he comprehends it, but he will need a lot longer than minutes.  “...If you’re lying, you could get in big trouble, you know. The Garrison is -”

“-I’m not lying.  Have the others show you what I came in on.  They’re the ones who dragged me from it.”

“They did...?”

Shiro notices, for the first time, the bruise developing across Keith’s eye and the cut on his thigh that’s bleeding freely.  The blood is curling around the light and dripping.

It’s not bad, but it needs attention.  He notes that the blood is red. ...Is he really an alien?  He looks so... _ human _ .

“You’re bleeding.”

“It’s nothing.  From the landing.”

“There’s a first aid kit right here.  I can help you. ...I promise I won’t hurt you.  I’ll be careful.”

Keith purses his lips, hesitating for a moment, as if staying up in that light forever is a viable option.  But then, he changes his mind, sliding down from the chain and dropping through the air like dead weight. Shiro thinks he’s just going to hit the ground and break all his bones, but he catches himself like a cat, like he weighs much less than a human.  Maybe he does. He looks amazingly graceful. Shiro blinks, stunned, as Keith pulls himself to his feet, a lithe powerful figure in black.

He’s even more beautiful up close.  Shiro just stares, stupefied.

Keith narrows his eyes at him.  “I keep my knife.”

“Uh.  Yes,” Shiro breathes, hand blindly reaching behind himself on the wall for the first aid kit.  “Take a seat at the table in the middle and I can...” He trails off as Keith deliberately walks to the chair at the edge of the room and sits with one resolute movement.  “Or...there’s fine.”

Shiro pulls a chair in front of him, setting the kit on his lap and opening it.  Keith’s outfit is as tight as skin, pulled over his flesh so it almost looks painful.  It breathes and twists just as Keith does. It feels like an invasion of privacy to look at, much more to touch.

Shiro swallows hard and says, “I might have to cut -”

“-No.  Nothing sharp.”

“I have to stitch it.”

Keith blows out a sigh.  “No scissors. No knife.”

It almost seems laughable he’s so worried about these sorts of things when Shiro can definitely tell there are inches more muscle on Keith than there is on Shiro and he’s as agile as a panther, and mostly likely as deadly as one.  If anyone is in danger here, it’s Shiro, but he doesn’t mention that, just puts his head down and gets to work.

His skin is like human skin.  His blood is like human blood.  Shiro’s starting to think that Matt is playing a really elaborate joke on him that he somehow managed to get both his dad and Iverson in on, when Keith says softly, “I was born on Earth.”

Shiro looks up and his hands freeze.  “You were?”

“Yeah.  You don’t have to be afraid...”

“I...I’m not.”

Keith smiles widely at the obvious stammer in Shiro’s voice, the sharp tips of his canines showing.  “Well, then that would be very foolish of you. You know nothing about me.”

Shiro lets out a soft chuckle.  “Well, I definitely think you’re capable of killing me,” Shiro murmurs, dipping his head back down to address the wound.  “But I don’t think you would. ...It’s something in your eyes. Sometimes you can just tell.”

“Wouldn’t you think aliens have a different code of honor than you’re used to?”

“There’s still no proof you’re an alien yet.  For all I know, you’re lying about everything.”

“Do I look like a liar?”

“How would I know what an alien looks like when they lie?”

Keith’s stony face pauses, and then, in the next instant, it melts into a smile.  Not a sharp one dipped in malice, but a real, softened smile. It’s slow, almost hesitant, like a secret he doesn't want to give away.  Shiro freezes as he takes in the sight. Maybe he’s not human after all. A human couldn’t be this beautiful.

“That’s true,” Keith purs lowly.

Shiro has to physically tear his sight away from Keith to be able to form words again.  He clears his throat. “Why did you come?”

“Not to be locked in here, I can tell you that much.”

“We won’t be able to let you out of here unless we’re sure of your intentions.  If you came from space like you claim, how can we trust you?”

Keith glares at him unhappily.  He leans back and crosses his arms.  “You have a teacher at the Garrison named Kogane.”

Shiro thinks hard.  “Kogane? I’ve never heard of him.”

“Well, check.  I want to speak with him.  It’s very important that I do.  To him, and only him, will I explain why I’m here.”

“Kogane...?”  Shiro bites his lip.  He knows the Garrison.  He’s been apart of it for a long time now and the name doesn’t ring a bell.  “...I’ll ask Iverson. He’s in charge here. You can trust him. He’d like to know what you have to say.”

“The first thing he did was toss me in here and try to  _ sedate me _ .  That’s not the kind of trust that  _ I _ want to work with.”

Shiro presses his lips together.  “...I can’t blame you there, but maybe -”

“-Kogane.  I told you.  Just him. That’s all.  I won’t be trusting anyone else.  That’s a  _ promise _ .”

“Fine,” Shiro murmurs, standing.  “How does the leg feel?”

Keith tentatively pulls himself to his feet, pressing his leg into the ground.  A small smile graces his face as he looks down at the stitching. “...You’re definitely good at what you do.  It’s like it’s not there.”

Shiro beams.  “Be careful with it still though.  You don’t want the stitches to come out.”  He turns to the door and stops, thinking. “Do you eat human food?  Water? I’ll bring you what you need. I mean...you look human. Is that a trick?”

“No trick, Shiro of Earth.  Please just find him as quickly as you can.  There’s not a lot of time.”

Shiro pauses at the door.  He wants to say something else, but he doesn’t know what, so he just smiles.  “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Keith’s smile broadens cheekily.  “You can let me out.”

Shiro snorts.  “You know I can’t do that.  Goodnight, Keith. I’ll pass on the message about Kogane.”

“Thank you.”

So the alien speaks English, was supposedly born on Earth, and knows of the Garrison and of a teacher who may’ve once went here.  Shiro tells everything to Iverson, who had already been listening through the feed. Shiro presses Keith’s wish to speak with Kogane.

“Shiro, listen to me.  You’re good with people, but if he is truly an alien, you can’t trust him.  You can’t just give them everything he wants without knowing why. That’s a good way to get us all killed.”

“But sir, what if this Kogane knows him and Keith has something important to say?  Maybe we can have them communicate through a feed like you’re doing now, or a walkie talkie or something of the sort.”

“Even if I wanted to allow it, it’d be impossible.”

“Impossible?”  Shiro asks with a sinking feeling in his gut.

“Kogane used to work here almost twenty years ago - a rebellious, but talented young man.  He won’t be back in any way or form. Kogane is dead.”

 

“ _ This _ is the best meal on Earth?”  Keith frowns into the bowl of orange.

“You don’t like it?”  Shiro raises his eyebrows in surprise, sitting across the table from Keith, spoon pausing on its way from his bowl to his mouth.

“Well...it’s alright, but I guess I was just...expecting something else.”

“Hear tales of Earth a lot?”

Keith’s eyes flick up to his in alarm and then back down to the orange.  “...I didn’t say that,” he says softly, carefully taking the spoon between his fingers and bringing the macaroni and cheese up to his lips.  He nibbles on it gently, like it might leap out and attack him if he’s not careful.

“It’s  _ my  _ favorite,” Shiro admits, chuckling as he watches Keith’s internal conflict, “but some people aren’t fond.  They think it’s just a quick sloppy meal for people who can’t cook. That’s a blatant  _ lie _ and anyone with taste would know that.”

Keith watches his face curiously and then slowly breaks into a smile.  “ _ Oh _ .  A biased opinion.”

“Aren’t all opinions biased?”

“Especially ones about food.”

“I’ll bring you something different next time.  I don’t suppose you have any requests? I don’t know what you like.”

Keith shrugs.  “I request you let me out?”

“Funny.”

“I can pilot just about anything, you know.  We’ll find something with  _ two seats _ ,” he grins widely, eyes glinting as he flashes two of his fingers.  “I can fly you around space, to any star you want.”

Shiro rolls his eyes, taking another biteful.  “Keep trying.”

Keith leans forward on the table, face closing the distance between Shiro’s.  “Did you pass the message on to Kogane yet? I really  _ really _ want to talk to him.  It’s  _ critical _ .”

“Must be, the way you came flying into our atmosphere.  It was risky what you did...just crash landing here like that.  You’re lucky Iverson didn’t blow your ship up then.”

“Yeah, well, I figured the risks were worth it for Kogane.   _ Did  _ you tell him?  I’ve just been  _ sitting here _ for  _ hours _ .  I can’t even begin to tell you how boring it is staring at a blank white wall all day long.”

Shiro takes in a deep breath and holds it, frowns into the moment.  Iverson put him under a very clear order not to tell Keith about Kogane.  But it goes beyond that. As Keith asks and says this man’s name, there’s something vulnerable and hopeful in his eyes that Shiro is pretty sure even Keith doesn't know is there.  Shiro doesn’t want to be the one to tell him that his trip was for nothing. He doesn’t want to break that look of hope on his face.

“I passed on the message to Iverson.”

“ _ And _ ?”

“Iverson’s the one in charge, not me.  I’m just here to make sure you’re taken care of and to listen if you have anything you decide you want to say.”

“Yeah, I have something I want to say.”  He turns his sharp glare up at the camera and flips it of, saying loudly, “ _ You’re wasting everyone’s time.  I need to talk to Kogane!” _

Shiro laughs softly, shaking his head, “you’re  _ really _ not good at making friends, are you?”

“What?”  Keith turns his sharp gaze at him.

“I’m just surprised that your... _ alien friends _ or whoever sent you here is all.  Is everyone so combative? Seems like a good way to get yourself killed.”

Keith huffs out a loud irritated grunt and pushes himself back into his seat.  “You know, that is actually  _ exactly _ the speech I heard before I left.”

“Hm, what a surprise.”

Keith snorts, but the irritated flames are gone and he finally settles down enough to eat the rest of his meal.

The next few days go by much the same.  Keith pecks at Shiro and Shiro can’t do anything, so he just tries to bring different meals he thinks Keith will like.  Takes his stitches from his leg when it finally heals. Talks to him about dumb things.

It turns out Keith is unsurprised about many of the things Shiro is allowed to tell him about Earth.  He knows about the dirt, the grass, the animals, the wind. He even knows about how the rain falls softly sometimes, or when it storms.  He’s heard of the snow and of harsh winters, and of the brutality of the desert, hot and unforgiving.

“How?”  Shiro asks.  “How do you know of these things?”

Keith shrugs, hanging from his legs off the light fixture, using whatever he can as a gym, stretching his back out for a moment before continuing his upside-down sit ups.  “I studied up on it. Earth is interesting to me.”

He knows many things, but he doesn’t know of the video games.  Of the movies that can bleed of romance or break hearts with their sorrow.  Shiro finds himself wondering what Keith would think of an action movie seeing as he’s a living acrobat himself, but he has to stop the thought.  Keith is an alien, not a friend.

Only...isn’t he?

“Why’d you come alone?”  Shiro finds himself asking, wondering about what kind of friends Keith has at home.

Keith wrinkles his nose in that way that says Shiro’s overstepped his bounds.

“Sorry,” Shiro hums.  “I hate to say this, but...Iverson and the Garrison are getting impatient...  I’m doing all I can, but...if there’s any info you can give that you’re okay with giving, I think that’d really help.”

Keith rubs his bottom lip back and forth with his finger.  “What do you think they’ll do once their patience runs out?”

Shiro’s voice drops lowly.  “I don’t know, but if it comes to that, I’m just a teacher’s aide.  I don’t have any power and no matter what I want, I won’t be able to help you.”

Keith’s eyes go to the door where there’s a lock that Shiro’s hand can unlock.  Shiro can read the thought in his eyes, the words he doesn’t say:  _ you can let me out _ .

Shiro sighs lowly.  “I wish you’d just tell us why you’re here.”

“Kogane -”

“He’s not coming.  I’m it.”

Keith tsks and looks away, face pinched in unhappiness.

Shiro sighs.

 

“I brought board games,” Shiro says one morning, hands full of boxes.  “We’ve got Monopoly, Clue, Mousetrap... Sorry, we don’t have a lot of good ones.  Though, my friend, Matt, he says there’s no such thing as a good  _ board game _ .  He’s all about the arcade and consoles.”

“Consoles?”  Keith frowns as he takes a box from Shiro and peels the top off, looking inside curiously.

“Yeah, like, a mini arcade you can hook up to the t.v.  You’d probably like it, but I don’t have one. Maybe I can borrow one from Matt.”

“Hmm...”  He has a playing piece pinched between his fingers and is staring closely at the character with intense interest.  “I like this. How do you play?”

Shiro takes his seat at the table and Keith his.  Keith is quick at everything he does and that includes learning.  He loses the first round, but wins every time after that.

“This is fun,” Keith rocks forward on his seat, scoping out his next move on the board.  “Much better than your macaroni and cheese.”

“Oh, yeah?  What sort of things do  _ you _ like to eat?”

“You wouldn’t know it.  It’s kind of like your macaroni and cheese, just without the macaroni.  And it’s green.”

“Like green goo?”  Shiro makes a face.

“Yeah, it’s  _ good _ .  How can you criticize me about green when you like  _ orange goo _ ?”

“Cheese is good!”

“How can I trust the word of a  _ human _ ?”  Keith rolls his eyes and laughs.

“And how can I trust that of an alien?”

Keith shakes his head, keeping a smile to himself, but he laughs again anyway.  He has the little game piece between his fingers again and he rolls it, looking at the character’s face.  “This looks like an astronaut.”

“What world are  _ you _ from?  He has a  _ suit  _ on.  He’s probably going to a fancy party or something, not space.”

“Yeah.  But his face.  Look at his eyes.  He’d like it up there.  He’s probably floating through space now, somewhere he doesn't know, unfamiliar...  A place he didn’t think he’d be at...” Keith sighs lowly, all jest out of his eyes.  “...If he's looking for someone, he hasn't found him yet. ...And maybe he’s starting to wonder if he ever will.”

The playfulness is gone from the air just like that.  Shiro swallows hard, looking down. If it were up to him, he’d let Keith go.  If it were up to him, he’d do whatever Keith asked. But it’s not. Keith is a prisoner here.  The silence is awkward.

“Keith, I -”

Before he can get the words out, Keith leans forward, flicking the badges on his chest.  “I’ve been curious. What are these? Your friend doesn’t have them.”

Shiro looks down.  “These? They’re badges.  The Garrison gives them out when you get certain achievements or become a certain rank.  The more you have the fancier of a person you are, I guess.” He notes Keith's sharpness, the way he tilts his head as he looks at them, a sparkle in his eyes.  “You like them?”

“I like this one.  Wings.”

Shiro laughs.  It’s his favorite one too.  He unpins it and holds it out for Keith to look at.  “I’m a pilot. Technically, I can fly through space too.”

Keith smiles again, lighting up all bright and happy, the pin held snugly between his sharp long fingers.  “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

 

There’s a loud snap and Shiro blinks over, looking down into Matt’s wide expectant eyes.  His eyebrows are raised as he drawls out, “did you hear anything I just said?”

They’re at lunch, in the cafeteria, where Shiro is seated right in front of a big warm bowl of macaroni.  He’s been lucky with the lunch menu lately, only, for once, he doesn’t really feel like eating. His mind is faraway, across the Garrison’s gates, a little bit deeper in the desert, inside a white plain tent that houses the alien boy named Keith.  He wonders what he's doing there, alone. If he’s hungry.

Shiro shakes himself and frowns at Matt.  “Sorry. You were saying?”

“God.  You know, my friend and I had a running bet that women weren’t your type and that’s fine, that’s totally fine, but I didn’t realize that  _ men _ weren’t your type either.   _ Aliens _ .  Who would’ve thought?  Shiro’s type is  _ aliens _ .”

“I never said that,” Shiro frowns, eyes darting around them to make sure they weren’t heard.  “Also, this is supposed to be  _ top secret _ .  Keep it down, will you?”

“I can’t believe you.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you just eloped off into the sunset together - literally.  Watching you guys through that feed sometimes...seriously, you guys? I’m getting way jealous, no kidding.  Will I get an invite to your wedding at least? I  _ did _ introduce the two of you, after all.”

“Yes, yes, you’re an amazing friend.  Worth all those times you woke me up at 3 in the morning.”

“I  _ told you _ .”  He bites into his sandwich and side glances Shiro.  “So? What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

He looks pointedly over at the teachers, where Iverson has just sat down.  “ _ What are you going to do?” _

“...I still don’t understand.  I can’t go against Iverson,” Shiro murmurs.

Matt says lowly, “Come on, I know you.  Don’t pretend I’m an idiot. Iverson’s been talking to Dad.  He wants to start running tests soon. He doesn’t think your way’s working.”

“ _ Tests _ ?  What?  Like Keith’s some lab rat?  He’s a living creature, just like us.  He's not meant to be caged and prodded.”

Matt looks back at Shiro, turmoil in his eyes, and sighs.  “Nothing is, Shiro. So that’s why I was asking: what are you going to do?”

 

As the days pass, so does Keith’s good mood.  It drains out of him slowly but thoroughly. Sitting alone in a plain empty room will do that to you and Keith is fire.  Dormant and without kindle, it will not thrive.

Days turn to weeks, and Shiro doesn’t want to think about if it’s close to a month yet.  Keith has his arms crossed all the time now, his posture hunched. He used to smile when Shiro came, a light flickering on in his eyes, but now he avoids his glance.

“I brought some food.”  He sets that down. “And one of those video games I was telling you about,” Shiro says softly, also slipping it onto the table.  “Matt actually let me borrow one of his televisions. It’s a miracle.”

Keith grunts under his breath, turning away on his bed so he’s not facing Shiro.

“Um...  Are you feeling alright today?  I could get a medic...”

“I don’t need a  _ medic. _ ”  His words are sharp.

“...Okay.”

He whispers out harshly, “I just want to get out of here.  I just want to go home. Can’t you let me out? Can’t you try?”

“I  _ have _ tried,” Shiro whispers back.  “I’m your friend, Keith. But it’s not that easy.  Even Iverson has someone he works for. If they find out we just  _ let you go _ ...”

“I’ve been here for  _ ages _ .  ‘Friend’?  You won’t even bring Kogane to me...”

Shiro sits at the table.  He sighs into his hand and just stays there, console and games forgotten, just staring at the white of the walls, just like Keith does everyday, all day.  “I’m sorry,” he says softly and it feels like he’s just speaking to the air for all the attention Keith gives him back. “This isn’t what I want either, but I’m nowhere near in charge.  Keeping Iverson from advancing his plans is almost more than I can do now. Keith, if you could just  _ say _ something about why you’re here or give us any bit of info about space, anything we don’t know.   _ Anything _ .  It will  _ really _ help.”

“You only know of one world, and you’ve barely even covered the scope of it.  Try seeing thousands. You wouldn’t understand.”

“No...”  Shiro sighs, looking down at his hands in his lap.  “Probably not.”

“And how am I supposed to trust you people?  You can’t just  _ keep _ me locked up in here.  I didn’t do anything wrong!  I have  _ things to do _ .”

“If you could just tell us...”

He stomps to his feet, marches over to Shiro’s face, and yells.  “ _ No _ .  No!  I told you already I  _ won’t _ !”  His hand lashes out over the table, smacking off the bowl of food Shiro had brought for him with a large crack.

Shiro blinks.  The ferocity of Keith’s anger is like a tornado, zipping Shiro up and tossing him away.  He’s breathless in the face of it.

The food is everywhere.  Of course he couldn’t have brought something dry, or easy to clean up, like an apple or even grapes.  It just had to be something he’d have to mop up.

Shiro sighs, pulling himself up from the table slowly.  He grabs a small rag from the crate in the corner and bends down to clean up the mess.

“Shiro,” Keith sighs, swinging his braid behind his back and rubbing at his forehead.  “Give that to me. I was the one who...” His voice slows and he stammers, confused, as his eyes finally take in the mess.  “...Shiro, is that...?”

Shiro reddens.  It’s all meaningless now, he guesses he should’ve said something earlier.  “I don’t know what your food goo tastes like obviously, but my friend knows a guy who is  _ amazing _ at cooking and I had him help me out.  I thought...maybe it’d cheer you up a bit.”

There’s something battling it’s way onto Keith’s face.  It looks like a mixture of laughter and anguish. “You tried to recreate the food goo...?  For me...? Why?”

“...You’ve just looked so sad lately...  I’m sorry. I wish I could do more. I’m really sorry.  I know you hate it here.”

Keith goes down to his knees beside Shiro.  The anger and stubborness is gone, replaced by a small smile.  “...Shiro... I don’t hate it here.”

That helps to lift Shiro’s spirits a little.  He smiles. “Yeah?”

Keith nods and in the same moment, he dips his finger into the green goo on the ground and pops it into his mouth.

“Uh -”  Shiro cringes, hands out.

Keith slowly tastes it, nodding his head as he thinks.  “This is...really good.  _ Really good _ .”

“Really?”  Shiro grins.

“Yeah,” Keith nods again, with more energy.  He reaches down and dips his finger in it again, eating more.

“Ugh!  Don’t just  _ eat it _ off the  _ floor _ .  I’ll get you more of it!  I’ll make more!”

Keith laughs at Shiro’s panic and keeps trying to dip in.  Shiro grabs at his arms and Keith turns, smacking his hand against the side of Shiro's face, coating it in green.

“Oh,” Keith breaths, eyebrows high as he tries to decide whether to laugh or beg for forgiveness.  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, it was an accident, I  _ swear _ .”

“ _ Oh _ ,” Shiro laughs lowly.  “It is  _ on now _ .”

Shiro isn’t sure who laughs harder as he scoops up a handful and smears it over Keith's little nose.  Keith retaliates of course, not afraid to twist down into the green mess and use as much of his body as he can to collect the goo and splatter it all over Shiro.  By the end of it, they’re both coated in green, dripping and laughing breathlessly, undisturbed by the mess they'll both have to clean later. That’s not the point.  Two friends. There really is no doubt.

For once, after they clean the mess and Shiro heads out for the night, Keith does not ask Shiro to let him go free.

 

“So I managed to convince them to let you out for a bit, okay?  As a show of trust. We trust you a bit, so maybe you can trust us a bit too?”

“I’m not sure if that’s how it works,” Keith leans back on his cot, another day in so many.  He’s always upside down, like some backwards cat.

It’s been weeks he’s been stuck in this tiny room and Shiro’s company is all he’s got.  He’s still bitter and angry, but he doesn't take it out on Shiro. The crates and walls are another story.

“It’s all I managed.  I’m sorry.”

“Well,” Keith huffs, twisting his lean long legs in the air and tossing himself off the bed.  “Lead me forward then, captor, I am your prisoner.”

“Keith...”  Shiro sighs.  He can’t even say it’s not true and that kills him.

“I'm  _ kidding,”  _ Keith sighs.  When Shiro's face stays dark, Keith walks up to him and places a hand on his arm. He says softly, “I’m kidding...”

Shiro rolls out his neck, not protesting about Keith's hand still on his arm.  “Okay... They have a temporary device up that sets a border. If you step over it, it will seriously injure you.  It’s not worth it.”

“Fire and explosions?”

“More like electrocuting you a smidgen away from death.  You’ll see lights at the edges; please don’t touch them.”

“I won’t, I won’t.” 

Shiro walks to the lock, placing his hand over the keypad and turning back to Keith.  “Don’t try anything, okay?”

Keith just smiles patiently, but it’s all sharp teeth with that little fire he usually has in his eyes and Shiro isn’t sure he feels any better about it.

But Keith needs this.  You can’t keep a lion trapped in a dog house.  Keith’s already been fading enough as it is and Shiro can't stand to see each day draining the life out of him.  It hurts him more than it probably should.

He lifts the white flap up and nods Keith outside.  “Go ahead,” he whispers, nervous.

Keith takes one step out and slows, breathing out shakily in wonder.

It’s not night anymore, the galaxy is far away.  It’s just them, on Earth together, the sun lighting the sky up with vibrant hues of red and orange, like fire, like Keith.  He stares into the sun, eyes lit up with wonder and Shiro has to chuckle, throwing his hand out over Keith’s eyes. “No, no, don’t look at that.  Haven’t you ever heard not to look into a star? I mean, if you’re flying through them and all. You’ll go blind.”

“It’s so beautiful here,” Keith breathes.

“It happens every day,” Shiro hums.  “Every twenty-four hours,” he clarifies when Keith looks over curiously.  “And you know what? A lot of people miss it...”

None of his peers are out at this time enjoying the view of the sky.  They don’t care about daybreak either. It’s just them and their work, wrapped in their own worries.  He wonders if they saw the sky like this if their eyes would light up like Keith’s are, like it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, even though he’s traveled through the universe.

“Do  _ you _ see it everyday?”

“No,” Shiro says softly.  “I’ve never really had a reason to.”

Keith watches the sky and Shiro watches Keith.  He knows what is more beautiful to him, even if he tries to pretend he doesn’t feel that way.

Keith does not belong to Earth, he belongs up above.  Shiro  _ knows this _ .  He was never meant to keep Keith here.  

“If you could choose only one thing,” Keith says, voice soft in the warm air.  “What is your favorite thing about Earth?”

“My absolute favorite thing?”  Shiro purses his lips as he tries to think.  “...That’s a surprisingly difficult question.  I guess I’d have to say...the people here.”

“Ah, so humans.”

Shiro smiles, looking over at Keith pointedly.  He shrugs. “‘People’ is a vague term. More the company of a friend.”

“Hm.”  Keith is quiet for awhile. When he speaks, the sound shimmers in the sunset’s light.  “My father...he’s human,” Keith whispers, his voice so quiet Shiro knows it’s meant for him and only him.  “...He’s here somewhere...but I've never seen him. I came here to meet him. I’ve waited for this moment all my life.”

Shiro looks over sharply.  Kogane. So that’s...

Shiro bites his lip and swallows hard.  He can’t tell him. “I wondered... You look so human.  But I haven’t seen any aliens.”

“Oh, no, some aliens look like you’d expect.  More like your animals than your humans. But some aren’t so far off.  My mother, she’s Galra.”

“Galra...?”

“Hm.  I got my mark from her.  See?” He tilts his neck to the side so Shiro can see it kissed along his cheek, slipping down his neck and disappearing beneath his clothes.  “She doesn’t have much faith in humans. She didn’t want me to come; I’m still pretty inexperienced... She wanted someone else to come in my place but I convinced her because I wanted to be the one to bring him home.  And look what happened. I was captured the very first second. ...She’d be livid if she knew.”

“No faith in humans?  But then she had a child with one.”

Keith blushes, looking down.  Shiro follows the look down, locking the sight of Keith’s bright pink blush against his pale complexion.  “Well. ...She says there are exceptions. ...I’m starting to believe she’s right.” When he looks up, his smile is like the sun.  Shiro tries to catch his breath, but it’s gone, completely knocked from his lungs and all he can do is be caught up in Keith’s glorious light.

“I want to get you where you need to go,” Shiro said softly.  “But I don’t know how...or what you want.”

Keith takes in a deep breath.  His words are a little shaky. “You could let me go...?”

“ _ Keith _ .”  It hurts his throat to say.

“M-maybe not that.  All I want is to see my father. I don't care how.  So, please, Shiro,” he breathes, turning the full strength of his eyes on Shiro’s weak little heart.  “Please, can you find him for me?”

Shiro has to pry his eyes away from Keith’s to begin to think properly again.  “I... Keith, I wish I could. But I’d have to go through Iverson. He’s my boss.”

“But...”

“I want to uphold your trust, but I can’t go behind his back.  I work for him.”

Keith’s eyes dim and he looks away, shaking his head softly.  “No, I get it. My mom’s my boss. If I ever did anything against her wishes, she’d probably kill me.”

“Yeah...”

He shrugs, eyes going distant.  “...She’s probably wondering where I am by now...  This wasn’t supposed to take this long.”

“Will she come for you?”  Shiro wonders. And worries.

“Probably,” Keith whispers.  He looks up at Shiro. “I want to tell you everything, but I just...  I have to be careful. You understand, don’t you?”

Keith has that look in his eyes again.  The one where his defenses are down and there’s just youthful vulnerability.  He looks almost like a child tugging at his mother’s skirts, imploring, begging,  _ please _ .

Shiro knows people.  And he probably even knows half-aliens too, a little bit better than he thinks he does.  He thinks about how, if he pushes a little, he probably can get Keith to spill everything.  To tell him whatever Iverson wants him to gather. His eyes are so wide, looking only to Shiro, waiting for his response.

Shiro smiles softly, gathering Keith’s hands in his.  “If you’re ready to tell me something, know that I’m here.  I’ll be here until you’re ready. But you don't have to say anything you don't want to.  I trust you.”

Relief breaks across Keith’s face and he smiles widely, looking just as golden as the sun’s warm bright rays.

 

Keith brightens a bit after that, responding to Shiro happily, but it looks a bit like effort and though Shiro smiles back, it hurts to.

Keith is unhappy here.  Of course he is. He’s locked up in one small makeshift room with only white walls and the most hideous utilitarian supplies.  Even his toilet is just one tiny step above a portable bathroom. Of course he’s unhappy.

Shiro wants to talk to Iverson again.  He keeps talking with him, but Iverson’s beyond irritated with Shiro and whatever benefits Shiro ever got for being the Garrison’s Golden Boy have been used up already.

Taking Keith out to see the sunset had pretty much been the last favor Shiro could afford.  And even then, he only just barely got away with it. Iverson’s sneer and stinkface was truly frightening.

Shiro is laying back on his bed back at the Garrison, staring dimly up at the ceiling, thinking of how he can better things for Keith, when the door is jammed open in a loud bang.

“ _ Shiro _ .  We’ve got to go.”

It’s Matt.

And Shiro just knows what it’s about.   _ Who _ it’s about.

“What?”  He breathes as they sprint through the hallways.  “What is it? What are they doing to him?”

“I dunno, Dad wouldn’t tell me.  But at night? When they know you’re away?”  There’s fear in Matt’s voice.

They steal a bike from the hangar and, by the time they get there, they can hear that chaotic banging and clattering that Shiro had heard the first day they met.

Only this time, Keith is yelling too.  “Don’t touch me! Don’t  _ touch me _ !   _ Shiro! _ ”

Shiro pushes past the guards that try to stop him and bangs into the room.  

Keith’s eyes flick up to Shiro’s and flood with relief.

Since they took out the swinging light weeks ago, Keith is forced to perch atop the bathroom stall, only just out of reach of a medic.  The room is a huge mess. The bed and its blankets are overturned. The table is snapped clean in half and there is no chair left upright.

“ _ Shiro _ ,” Keith breathes.

“What’s going on?”  Shiro demands of Iverson, who is staring at Shiro like he interrupted a sacred ceremony.

“Talk to me outside,” Iverson says, storming out.

Before he can make his way from out fully, Shiro says, with more authority in his voice than he’s allowed, “I’m not leaving Keith with them in here.”

For a second, Iverson’s face is filled with enough fury that it seems like he’s going to  _ drag _ Shiro out by the neck.  But, stiffly, he manages to say, “Everyone out.”

And finally, Keith slips off the stall wall.

“It’s been weeks,” Iverson snarls at Shiro.  Matt is hovering in the background, looking every bit as worried as Shiro.  Maybe even moreso because Shiro doesn't seem to realize or care that the trouble involves him too.  “Weeks. You promised me  _ results _ and we still know just as much as we did before.  I’m done doing it your way. We’re starting with the tests.”

“You’ll scare him,” Shiro says loudly.  “He’s hesitant and shy and cares for others.  He’s told me stories of his friends in space, of his flights through the galaxies and to other planets.”

“Yes, I’ve heard them.  It means little to me. For all we know, he’s lying through his teeth.”

“He’s -”

“- All this damn racket.  All we want is a blood sample today.”

“And what of tomorrow?  And the next day? A tooth?  An arm? He’s not stupid.”

Iverson narrows his eyes.

“Keith is not a specimen!  He’s another living being. He feels fear just as we do and you're just coming at him like...like we’re the bad guys.”

Iverson’s eyebrows are so high they make Shiro pause.  His eyes are steel. They will not budge, no matter how Shiro may rationalize or beg.  He hates himself for it, but he forces the words out. “Sir, please. He trusts me. Let me do it.  Please. I’ll get you the blood. Just please don’t hurt him.”

Mr. Holt walks up to Shiro’s side, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as he addresses Iverson.  “I don’t see that being a problem, do you, sir?”

Iverson grumbles and shakes his head, nodding the medic over.  “Give him the supplies. Do you know how to draw blood?”

Shiro nods.  “How many vials?”

“Fifteen.”

Shiro does a double-take, but Iverson’s face doesn’t change.  Shiro takes the supplies and heads back inside.

Keith has turned his bed back over and is sitting on the edge of it, posture stiff and at the ready.

He looks down at the supplies in Shiro’s hands and presses his lips together.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro says softly, letting himself fall onto the bed beside Keith.  “It looks like they’ve given up on my methods... Can I?”

Keith closes his eyes.  “What do you need me to do?”

“I’m just going to be taking some blood.  It shouldn’t hurt. They’ll be running tests on it.”

Heartbreaking disappointment and numbness takes over Keith’s face.  “...Oh. You told them about me...”

Shiro resists the urge to let his eyes look up at the cameras he isn’t sure are running or not.  He says lowly, “No... They’re just tired of waiting. It’s been weeks, I’m surprised they waited this long honestly.”

Shiro taps Keith’s arm, searching for a vein.  “I’m trying to convince them to keep me involved in all of this.  Would it be better if I were the one doing these things?”

“I don’t know,” Keith says breathlessly, wincing as Shiro presses steel into flesh.  “I mean...yes, but I... It makes me nervous.”

“No one likes it,” Shiro says softly.  “But this is something normal. I’ve had it done to me too, many times.”

“We have something like it back at home.  ...But what else will they do to me? That's what makes me nervous.”

“I don’t know, Keith,” Shiro whispers, taking out a vial and replacing it with a new one.  He has a few already stacked, filled with Keith’s blood and he hates how he still has a stack more left to fill.  Keith already looks so pale, this just seems like overkill.

“Are they not going to tell my father I’m here?”  He asks, voice very small and very fragile.

“...Keith, I...  I don’t know.” In his voice is  _ no _ and even Shiro can hear it.

Keith sags.  Defeat is there, weighing him down heavily by the back of his delicate neck, pressing its harsh weight into his shoulders.  “Oh,” he breathes, like it’s over. Like he’s lost.

“We’ll figure something out,” Shiro says.  He doesn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise.

Keith seems to know it and he closes his eyes again, keeping his arm still for Shiro to take from him.  To just keep taking until he’s a single cinder on this sterile white floor.

He no longer looks like that panther, hiding up in the swinging light from overhead, baring his teeth at them all.  He’s faded, a wilted grey flower. Shiro can’t stand to see it.

His hand slows on the bottles.

And the door opens quickly, startling the both of them.  “Are you almost done?” Iverson says, frowning at the both of them.

“This many vials takes awhile,” Shiro replies, gesturing to the set that’s already collected.  “He’s not very hydrated.”

“You were in charge of feeding him.”

“I know,” Shiro says softly.

Keith’s eyes flash and he jerks his head up.  “And what about  _ your _ job?  Where’s Kogane?  I  _ need _ to speak to him.  It’s  _ important _ .”

Iverson holds his gaze for a moment and then says lowly, without sympathy or preamble: “he’s dead.”  And leaves.

Shiro blinks, eyes wide, startled.  He had not wanted Keith to know at all.  He had hoped that Keith would just forget about it and go home, to his mother, and just believe his father was still around here somewhere, a part of the universe still.

“Keith,” Shiro whispers.  He isn’t sure what to say to make it better.

Keith is stock-still, horror bleeding across his face.  It twists into something in between disbelief and denial.  But beneath that is the pain of truth.

“ _ No _ ,” he says.  “No. He’s  _ lying _ .”

“I looked it up,” Shiro whispers gently, slipping the needle from his arm even though they haven’t finished.  “He has a grave behind the Garrison. ...I’m so sorry, Keith. There’s a whole entire file on him. He sounded like a brave man.  Maybe I’ll be able to take you to his resting place...”

“...That’s why you always dodged the question,” Keith whispers in horror, pressing his face into his hand.  “It’s not that you couldn’t find him, it’s that he’s not even  _ here _ .  Oh, god,” Keith chokes, pressing his hands into his eyes.  Tears leak out, dropping to his lap. “This is going to kill Mom.  She’s wanted to see him for so long... She always talks about coming back.  And me... I always thought... I always wanted to come here... I thought that Earth...  I waited for this moment for so long and... I thought I’d finally find that piece inside of me...that piece that feels so lost...  I...”

Shiro reaches a hand out hesitantly.  Is he allowed this? Keith is hurting and Keith is his friend.  There’s no denying that now. Shiro reaches around his shoulders and pulls Keith into his hold, cameras be damned.  “I’m sorry, Keith. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I knew how much it’d hurt you and I couldn’t do that...”

“I just wanted to meet him,” Keith sniffs softly, wiping at his eyes.  He leans into Shiro's hold, seeking comfort there. His shoulders tremble.  “I thought I’d finally get to see him...but he’s been gone...for how many years, I wonder...  Just dead.” He takes in a deep breath. “All these years, I was just chasing after a dead man...”

Shiro runs his hands in soothing circles.

“...Why did I even come then...?”

Hurt stabs through Shiro but he quickly pushes it down.  Keith has a right to be upset, more than. If he hadn’t come, he would’ve been in the sky still, with his mom, safe.

“We’ll figure this out,” Shiro whispers, reaching down to grab his hand.  He squeezes tightly.

Keith looks up, so much turmoil in his eyes, but he sees past it, into Shiro’s gaze.  Understanding soothes a bit of the pain away and Shiro feels his heart flutter. “Okay,” Keith whispers, rubbing at his red face one last time.  He holds his arm out. “Come on. You have a job to do, right? We all have a job to do... You need to fill all those vials.”

“For now,” Shiro whispers into his ear as he leans over to grab the needle.  “For now.”

 

It’s early morning and everyone is asleep.  Even the makeshift camp is dark. It seems Keith has turned the light off.  It’s the first time Shiro has seen it that way; it makes it easy to sneak past the guards, who are leaning back with their eyes closed, snoring softly.

Keith is a small lump under the ratty blanket.

“...Keith?”  He whispers.

Keith mumbles in his sleep and rolls onto his other side, further from him.

“ _ Keith _ .”  There's nothing.

Shiro goes to him and gently places his hand on his shoulder.  “Keith.”

It happens so quickly Shiro isn’t even sure what’s going on, but Shiro is on his back before he registers, Keith sitting right on his chest.

“ _ Shiro _ ?”  Keith breathes, scrambling off of him and quickly helping him to his feet.  “What are you doing here?”

“Ow...”

“I’m sorry.  I just...thought you would know better than to sneak up on me while I’m sleeping.”

“Shh,” Shiro presses a finger to his lips.  “You’ll wake the guards.”

Keith shakes his head, leaning in, heads nearly pressed together so they can whisper into each other’s space.  “ _ What _ are you doing here?”

Shiro licks his lips nervously, taking a step back toward the door.  “Iverson isn't necessarily a bad person, but his curiosity and sense of duty, not compassion, is what drives him.  I fear he will take you apart bit by bit until he gets to the core of you. He’s afraid of you. And, right now, he's just one person.  It's inevitable others will find out, and the more people who find out, the more panic will spread. Maybe you already know the nature of humanity, but they will crush the life from whatever scares them.  And you're who scares them. You’re in danger, Keith. You cannot stay here.”

“...I know.  But what am I supposed to do?  My mom might be too late.” He shakes his head.  “Aren't I enough like you though? I'm still half-human.”

“ _ I  _ think so, but anything different - anything at all, and people zero in on it like it’s the plague.  Matt’s full-human and he got bullied so badly for awhile... I wish it wasn’t true, but with the amount of time and resources we have, we can’t risk trusting others to just let you go.”

“...No, I guess not.  I get it. It's better to kill it than to wait to see if it'll kill you first.  Everyone is afraid of the unknown.”

“Maybe.”  Shiro reaches up, brushing his fingers gently against Keith’s mark on his face.  “...But  _ I’m _ not afraid of  _ you _ .”

Keith’s eyes dart up to Shiro’s, widening in surprise.  The air is pulled from his lungs in an audible shivering gasp as he understands the full weight of those words.  Slowly, the corners of Keith’s mouth pull up. His eyes stay focused on Shiro's and they stay there, standing together in the shadows of this makeshift tent.  He reaches his hand up and gently grabs Shiro's in his. “...No?”

“No.  When you first came here, I thought you were like a panther and I’ll admit I was a little afraid then.  But now that I've come to know you, I'd say you're much more like a kitten. Docile. Very friendly.”

“A docile  _ friendly _ kitten?” Keith challenges. “I don’t think so.  I'm still that panther.”

Shiro shrugs innocently.  “Well, I haven't seen it. Not toward me, at least.”

Keith laughs softly, looking down for a moment to hide his blush before looking back up to Shiro, grin on his face.  “...Fine. I'll give you that...”

“I won’t let them hurt you.”

“No....”  Keith lets out a small chuckle, winding their fingers together and settling them at their sides.  “So what’s the plan?”

“Well...  Mind you, I just made it up.”

“Mmhmm.”

“I was thinking...  You said you have a backup plan for if you escaped out of here.  Beyond the shuttle. ‘I can pilot anything’, something like that.  I was thinking we would just use your plan.”

Keith’s eyebrows rise up high.  “You trust me that much? Your future is on the line here too.  If Iverson catches you you’ll be in so much trouble.”

“Yeah, well, I figure the risks will be worth it for you...  Could I join you?”

“...I don't know, I mean, you're so stubborn.  I don't know how any of this will work.”

Shiro blinks on surprise. “What do you mean?  I'm not stubborn.”

“You have orders, I get it. But you're so damned straight-laced how will you ever manage to go against them?” He nods to the door.  “Can you even physically manage to unlock that door? Or will your morals get in the way?”

“Ah...”  Shiro rolls his eyes, trying to press down a smile.  “Because I promised I never would...”

“I don’t know if I can bring a liar along on my trip.”

“How do you know what a human liar looks like?  You didn’t grow up on Earth.”

“Yeah, but I’m half-human, genius.  I know a liar when I see one.”

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to leave me behind.”

“Or...I could trust you...?”  Keith tilts his head.

Shiro smiles.  “Or you could do that.  A little test run: first time trusting a human.”

“Could be fun,” Keith hums.

Shiro’s smile turns into a full out grin as he backs up and hovers his hand on the unlocking pad.  “Me too. I could trust you as well.”

“A test run.”

Shiro nods once, hope flooding through him.  “Yeah. Yeah, I think we’ll do just that.”

Keith grabs Shiro by the wrist and presses his hand down firmly.  They grin brightly at each other as the door whirls and opens, the long golden hallway laid out for the both of them, paving the way into night.

They’re free.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Alternatively titled: Hi, Mom, I left to find Dad, but came back with a boyfriend instead.  
> Could you imagine her face when she first sees Shiro though? XD
> 
> I wrote this entire thing in one sitting. I almost died.
> 
>  
> 
> [ My Twitter](https://twitter.com/go__begreat)


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